Microsoft has been blasted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for collecting an "unprecedented" amount of user data and for its "blatant disregard" towards the privacy of its Windows 10 users.

This comes after Microsoft adopted some unsavoury tactics in its efforts to get the new Windows 10 operating system on to as many devices as possible, which has resulted in multiple lawsuits and angered a lot of users.

"Windows 10 sends an unprecedented amount of usage data back to Microsoft, particularly if users opt in to 'personalise' the software using the OS assistant called Cortana," he writes.

"There's no good reason why the types of data Microsoft collects at each telemetry level couldn't be adjusted so that even at the lowest level of telemetry collection, users could still benefit from Windows Update and secure their machines from vulnerabilities, without having to send back things like app usage data or unique IDs like an IMEI number."

He goes on to say that Microsoft's tactics have forced Windows 10 users to choose between privacy and security, saying that the company needs to "come clean with its user community" and " acknowledge its missteps."

"We urge Microsoft to listen to these concerns and incorporate this feedback into the next release of its operating system. Otherwise, Microsoft may find that it has inadvertently discovered just how far it can push its users before they abandon a once-trusted company for a better, more privacy-protective solution."